مِثالُ عَينَيكَ في الظَبيِ الَّذي سَنَحا

وَلّى وَما دَمَلَ القَلبَ الَّذي جَرَحا

The example of your eyes in the gazelle that set out

And that did not soften the heart it wounded

فَرُحتُ أَقبَضُ أَثناءَ الحَشا كَمَداً

وَراحَ يَبسُطُ أَثناءَ الخُطا مَرَحا

So I was happy to withdraw during estrangement as a shield

While it was happy to reveal itself during intimacy and joy

صَفَحتُ عَن دَمِ قَلبٍ طَلَّهُ هَدراً

بُقياً عَليهِ فَما أَبقى وَلا صَفَحا

I forgave the blood of a heart whose tear it shed wastefully

Remaining upon it, so it neither remained nor forgave

حَمى لَهُ كُلَّ مَرعىً سَهمُ مُقلَتِهِ

وَمَورِدَ الماءِ مَغبوقاً وَمُصطَبَحا

It protected every pasture from the arrow of its eyelash

And the watering places, spent and brightlyadorned

أَماتِحٌ أَنتَ غَربَ الدَمعِ مِن كَمَدٍ

عَلى الظَعائِنِ إِذ جاوَزنَ مُطَّلَحا

You are a wiper of the tears of imprisonment from an orb

Upon the does when they passed by me alert

أَتبَعتُهُم نَظَراً تَدمى أَواخِرُهُ

وَقَد رَمَلنَ عَلى رَملِ العَقيقِ ضُحى

I followed them with a look whose edges bled

And they sifted into the sands of carnelian in the morning

فيهُنَّ أَحوى فَضيضُ الطَرفِ رِعيَتِهِ

حَبُّ القُلوبِ إِذا ما رادَ أَو سَرَحا

Among them the fawn of my glance pastures its herd

The love of hearts when it intended or set out

عِندي مِنَ الدَمعِ ما لَو كانَ وارِدَهُ

مَطيُّ قَومِكَ يَومَ الجِزعِ ما نَزَحا

I have from tears that if their wellspring

Were your tribe’s horses on the day of anguish, they would not flow

غادَرنَ أَسوانَ مَمطوراً بِعَبرَتِهِ

يَنحو مَعَ البارِقِ العُلوِيُّ أَينَ نَحا

They left Aswan weaving its tears

Heading with the sublime thunderbolt wherever it went

يَروعُهُ الرَكبُ مُجتاَزاً وَيُزعِجُهُ

زَجرُ الحُداةِ تَشُلُّ الأَينُقَ الطُلُحا

Frightened by travelers crossing and disturbed

By the shouting of guides that paralyzes the slender oryx

هَل يُبلِغَنَّهُمُ النَفسَ الَّتي ذَهَبَت

فيهِم شَعاعاً أَوِ القَلبَ الَّذي قَرِحا

Can my soul which left

Reach them a ray or the heart that bled?

إِن هانَ سَفحُ دَمي بِالبَينِ عِندَهُمُ

فَواجِبٌ أَن يَهونَ الدَمعُ إِن سُفِحا

If shedding my blood seems trivial to them

Then shedding tears should be trivial if poured

قُل لِلعَواذِلِ مَهلاً فَالمَشيبُ غَداً

يَفدو عِقالاً لِذي القَلبِ الَّذي طَمَحا

Tell the flirts “Enough,” for old age tomorrow

Will buy the reason of him whose heart aspired

هَيهاتَ أُحوَجُ مَع شَيبي إِلى عَذَلٍ

فَالشَيبُ أَعذَلُ مِمَّن لامَني وَلَحا

Alas! Along with my old age I need no blame

For old age is more blameworthy than one who blamed me and shone

قِف طالِعاً أَيُّها الساعي لِيُدرِكَني

فَبَعدَكَ الجَزَعُ المَغرورُ قَد قَرَحا

Stop, oh passerby, so that it may reach me

For after you separation made the deceived heart bleed

لا عَزَّ أَخبَثُنا عِرقاً وَأَهجَنُنا

أُمّاً وَأَصلَدُنا زَنداً إِذا قُدِحا

The evilest of us in lineage and the most uncouth of us

In mother and most rigid of us in origin if provoked

أَظُنُّ رَأسَكَ قَد أَعياكَ مَحمَلُهُ

وَرُبَّ ثِقلٍ تَمَنّاهُ الَّذي طُرِحاً

I think your head is wearied by its load

And what a heavy load whose bearer was thrown

كَمِ المُقامُ عَلى جيلٍ سَواسِيَةٍ

نَرجو النَدى مِن إِناءٍ قَلَّ مارَشَحا

How long can one stay in an ignorant generation

From whose vessel seldom pours we hope for dew?

تَشاغَلَ الناسُ بِاِستِدفاعِ شَرِّهِمُ

عَن أَن يَسومَهُمُ الإِعطاءَ وَالمِنَحا

The people busied themselves defending against their own evil

From bestowing and giving gifts

في كُلِّ يَومٍ يُناديني لِبَيعَتِهِ

مُشَمِّرٌ في عِنانِ الغَيِّ قَد جَمَحا

Every day one calls me insistently to his allegiance

With the bridle of misguidance held tight, frowning

إِن تُمنَيَنَّ لِمِنديلٍ إِذاً لَكُمُ

مَتى يَشا ماسِحٌ مِنكُم بِها مَسَحا

If you wish for a handkerchief, then for you

Is one to wipe away whenever one of you desired

إِلامَ أُصفيكُمُ وُدّي عَلى مَضَضٍ

وَكَم أُنيرُ وَأُسدي فيكُمُ المِدَحا

Why should I declare you my darling during displeasure

And how much do I give light and praise among you?

يَرومُ نُصحِيَ أَقوامٌ وَرَوا كَبِدي

وَالعَجزُ أَن يُجعَلَ المَوتورُ مُنتَصَحا

Some people plot against my advice and nourish my liver

But it is impossible that one offended become well

أَرى جَنانِيَ قَد جاشَت حَلائِبُهُ

ما يَمنَعُ القَلبَ مِن فَيضٍ وَقَد طَفَحا

I see my soul overflowing with its milk

What prevents the heart from pouring when it floods?

شَمِّر ذُوَيلَكَ وَاِركَبها مُذَكَّرَةً

وَاِطلُب عَنِ الوَطَنِ المَذمومِ مُنتَدَحا

Roll up your train, get on it as a reminder

And seek the distant homeland as yearned

وَحَمِّلِ الهَمِّ إِن عَنّاكَ نازِلُهُ

غَوارِبَ اللَيلِ وَالعَيرانَةَ السُرُحا

And carry anxiety if its conclusion preoccupies you

Nocturnal ghosts and motley partridges

وَاِنفُض رِجالاً سَقوكَ الغَيظِ أَذنَبَةً

وَأَورَثوكَ مَضيضَ الداءِ وَالكَشَحا

And shake off men whose spite made you stumble

And who inherited for you lingering illness and scraping

إِن عايَنوا نِعمَةً ما توا بِها كَمَداً

وَإِن رَأوا غُمَّةً طاروا بِها فَرَحا

If they witness any blessing they do not restrain it

And if they see gloom they fly off in joy

أَوهَت أَكُفُّهُمُ بَيني وَبَينَهُمُ

فَتقاً بِغَيرِ العَوالي قَلَّ ما نُصِحا

Their palms made a partition between me and them

Rarely honestly and rarely loyally

نالوا المَعالي وَلَم تَعرَق جِباهُهُمُ

فيها لُغوباً وَما نالَ الَّذي كَدَحا

They attained high ranks without their foreheads

Perspiring over it or like one who struggled

سائِل عَنِ الطَودِ لِم خَفَّت قَواعِدُهُ

وَكانَ إِن مالَ مِقدارٌ بِهِ رَجَحا

One who asks about the towering mountain why its foundations weakened

And if it leaned how much would tip it over

قَد جَرَّبوهُ فَما لا نَت شَكيمَتُهُ

وَحَمَّلوهُ فَما أَعيا وَلا رَزَحا

They tested it but its strength did not become apparent

And burdened it but neither did it weaken or strain

رَمَوا بِهِ الغَرَضَ الأَقصى فَشافَهَهُ

مَرَّ القَطامِيُّ جَلّى بَعدَما لَمَحا

They threw it to the furthest goal but the wood shredded its lips

The bow pieces glinting after bending

مِنَ العِراقِ إِلى أَجبالِ خُرَّمَةٍ

يا بُعدَهُ مَنبَذاً عَنّا وَمُطَّرَحا

From Iraq to Khurram’s mountains, oh how distant

Cast away from us and discarded

لَيسَ المَلومُ الَّذي شَدَّ اليَدَينِ بِهِ

بَلِ المَلومُ المُرَزّا مَن بِهِ سَمَحا

The one who tied his hands to it is not blamed

But rather the one who gave it away freely and bestowed

هُوَ الحُسامُ فَمَن تَعلَق يَداهُ بِهِ

يَضمُم عَلى الصَفقَةِ العُظمى وَقَد رَبِحا

It is the sword so whoever attaches his hands to it

Will conclude the greatest deal and profit

إِن أَغمَدوهُ فَلَم تُغمَد فَضائِلُهُ

وَلا نَأى ذِكرُهُ الداني وَقَد نَزَحا

If they sheathe it, then its merits will not be concealed

And talk of it will not stop flowing

أَهدى السَلامَ إِلَيكَ اللَهُ ما حَمَلَت

غَوارِبُ الإِبِلِ الغادينَ وَالرَوَحا

May God convey peace to you whenever the riding camels went

Their nocturnal ghosts journeying and traveling

وَلا أَغَبُّ بِلاداً أَنتَ ساكِنُها

مَسرى نَسيمٍ يُميطُ الداءَ إِن نَفَحا

And I do not neglect any land where you reside

A breath blows removing sickness if it blows

أَغدو عَلى سُبُلِ الأَنواءِ مُشتَرِطاً

سُقياكَ في البَلَدِ النائي وَمُقتَرِحا

I head out on the paths of gusts stipulating

To water you in the distant land, proposing

أَفرَدتَ لِلهَمِّ صَدراً مِنكَ مُتَّسِعاً

عَلى الهُمومِ وَقَلباً مِنكَ مُنشَرِحا

You devoted to worries a chest from you spacious

To worries and a heart from you tranquil

كَساهُمُ البُهمَةَ الدَهماءَ عَجزُهُمُ

وَالعَزمُ أَلبَسَكَ التَحجيلَ وَالفَرَحا

Their gloom dressed them in the gloomy sorrow and

Resolve dressed you in determination and joy

عَلَّ اللَيالي أَن تُثنى بِعاطِفَةٍ

فَيَستَقيلَ زَمانٌ بَعدَما اِجتَرَحا

May the nights fold with an affection

So that times relax after having tensed

كَما رَمى الداءُ عُضواً بَعدَ صِحَّتِهِ

كَذا إِذا التاثَ عُضوٌ رُبَّما اِصطَلَحا

Just as the sickness threw aside a limb after its health

So if a limb convalesces, it may recover

فَكَم تَلاحَكَ بابُ الخَطبِ ثُمَّ رُمي

بِقارِعٍ مِن يَمينِ اللَهِ فَاِنفَتَحا

So how often did the door of difficulty confront me then

Get thrown open with a blow from God’s right hand so opened

وَكَم تَلاحَمَ كَربٌ عِندَ مُعضِلَةٍ

فَاِنجابَ عَن قَدرٍ لِلَّهِ وَاِنفَسَحا

And how often did a calamity become stuck at an impasse

Then by God’s destiny relieve and relax

أَرى رِجالاً كَبُهمِ القاعِ عِندَهُمُ

سَيّانِ مِن مَزقَ الآراءِ أَو صَرَحا

I see men whom drinking brought down to the floor

Equal whether tearful or happy

يَعلو عَلى قُلَلِ الأَعناقِ بَينَهُمُ

مَن غَشَّ رِئياً وَيوطا عُنقُ مَن نَصَحا

The one who betrayed disgracefully ascends upon their necks’ summits

While the neck of the advisor bows

تَظاهَروا بِنِفاقِ الغَيِّ عِندَهُمُ

حَتّى اِدِّعاهُ عَلى مَكروهِهِ الفُصَحا

They pretended by the hypocrisy of misguidance among themselves

Until the eloquent claimed it against its repulsiveness